The 1940s meets the 21st century with Chevrolet’s 2008 HHR SS Turbo, an homage to the past with a performance eye toward the present.
Listed in several surveys as one of the Top 10 “College Cars” on the market, the HHR is a retro celebration aimed at younger drivers. That marketing thrust is paying off to the tune of 100,000 units sold per year. Named for its “Heritage High Roof,” and looking like a like a modern version of the 1949 Chevy Suburban panel truck, but with rear side windows (Chevrolet also puts out a full panel truck model of the HHR), the HHR is considered a truck within the GM’s sphere of labeling. Even so, this vehicle that is more a small car-based SUV than truck, shares the same Delta platform underpinning as the Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5 and Saturn Ion and a few international Opel vehicles. In fact, the EPA classifies the HHR as an SUV, and it rides like one, rather than like a car.
If the HHR is an SUV, it is a small one, at 176.2 inches long, 69.1 inches wide and 62.5 inches high on a car-like 103.6-inch wheelbase. Minimum ground clearance is only 6.3 inches.
The front-wheel drive HHR weighs in at 3550 lbs. and is assembled in Ramos Arzipe, Coahuila, Mexico. It consists of 40 percent parts from the United States and Canada, and the rest of foreign origin, but the engine and transmission are all-American.
That powerplant is a small 2.0-liter Ecotec 4-cylinder engine, but the SS version, which I tested, is turbocharged, which increases the muscle more than 50hp to 260hp and 260 lbs.-ft. of torque on the five-speed manual model. My test vehicle was converted to a 4-speed automatic, and there is a noticeable drop in power, to 235 horses and 223 lbs.-ft. of torque. The 2009 edition will add 15 more horses to the automatic’s capabilities while torque will remain the same in the identical Ecotec used in the sporty Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky coupes.
The brawn was enough to muscle my test HHR to a 7.5-second zero-to-60mph run, and a 15.5-second quarter-mile, but I believe the stick version is faster, sportier and more responsive. It is also lighter and $1000 less expensive.
EPA rated at 19mpg in city driving and 28mpg on the highway, a full week of testing on the highways, country roads and township streets of Central Pennsylvania and Northwestern Maryland earned an average of 27.3mpg, with interstate driving making up two-thirds of the test.
With this front-wheel drive vehicle, I did notice some torque steer, and if acceleration dynamics hold true to form, I would expect even greater torque steer with the manual. Inside, the cabin is noisy, with engine and road noise often drowning out the entertainment system.
On the road, the HHR exhibits confident steering, better stop-and-turn reactions than found in typical SUVs, but also poor visibility due to the thick-pillar design.
To earn the “SS” badge from GM, the vehicle must perform with style, power and handling, and the HHR SS delivers the goods with such standard style features as all-new front and rear fascias, new front grilles, a rear spoiler and 18-inch polished forged aluminum wheels wrapped with Michelin performance all-season tires. Handling is attended to with a Nürburgring-tuned FE5 sport suspension that delivers 0.86 g grip (with manual transmission) and Stablitrak electronically enhanced stability control system. Interior styling worthy of the “SS” suffix includes an SS-specific interior with new SS-embroidered sport seats accompanied by suede-like inserts, an A-pillar boost gauge, new gauge cluster with 140-mph speedometer and a new, driver-oriented steering wheel and shifter.
The HHR SS’s performance rubber meets the road via Michelin Pilot Sport MXM4 P225/45R18 tires mounted on 18-inch polished forged aluminum five-spoke wheels.
Safety is a GM watchword these days, and HHR safety items have garnered the vehicle a five-star safety rating in frontal crash tests conducted by the NHTSA, and four stars in rollover tests. Other standard safety installs include ABS brake system, dual frontal airbags with passenger-sensing system, tire pressure monitor and one year of On-Star Safe and Sound service.
My Sunburst Orange test ride was accentuated by an Ebony interior. The cabin is roomy with seating for five and headroom of 39.6 inches up front and 39 inches in row two, legroom of 40.6 inches and 39.5 and shoulder room of 53.5 inches and 52.7.
Standard interior accouterments include air conditioning, air filtration system, AM/FM stereo with CD/MP3, 8-way power adjustable driver seat with lumbar, tach and driver information center, remote keyless entry and dual power outlets.
Aggressively base-priced at $22,375, my test HHR stickered out at $24,885, including a destination charge of $625.
The SS package was standard, but add-ons included the 4-speed automatic transmission with remote vehicle start ($1000); side airbags in the front and rear ($395); High-performance, 7-speaker Pioneer audio system ($295) and XM Satellite Radio ($200).
The 2008 Chevrolet HHR SS may resemble a 1940s panel truck, and may be classified as an SUV, but it is one hot, modern car that is priced to sell.
Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.
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